Summary created by Smart Answers AI<\/p>\n
In summary:PCWorld reports that Valve is collaborating with Nvidia to develop GPU driver support for SteamOS, addressing compatibility challenges that have limited the platform\u2019s broader adoption.This partnership matters for PC gamers seeking a Windows alternative, as SteamOS expands beyond Steam Deck to Intel hardware but faces obstacles with Nvidia\u2019s proprietary drivers.Initial Nvidia driver support for SteamOS may not arrive until late 2026, despite Nvidia\u2019s recent improvements in Linux support and hiring of specialized experts.<\/p>\n
SteamOS, the Linux-based operating system at the heart of the Steam Deck and Steam Machine<\/a>, is growing ever more popular. It\u2019s even coming to some Intel hardware, mostly on the strength of the appeal for those snazzy new handhelds. But it doesn\u2019t work so well with Nvidia GPUs, which have an effective monopoly on the desktop side of things. Valve is working on that, according to a new interview.<\/p>\n Pierre-Loup Griffais, a member of Valve\u2019s software engineering team, told The Verge<\/a> that the company is working directly with Nvidia to get driver support for SteamOS. That\u2019s a good thing if you\u2019re a gamer who wants something with a little more oomph than integrated graphics or the 8GB AMD card built into the Steam Machine.<\/p>\n But I wouldn\u2019t hold my breath. Griffais also said that it\u2019s something \u201cwe\u2019re working on in the background,\u201d and even an initial SteamOS Nvidia driver might not come by the end of 2026. Oof.<\/p>\n Nvidia drivers for Linux have always been a bit of a sore spot, being much more touchy and proprietary than AMD and Intel drivers, and causing a lot of problems with the multitude of distros available. So if Valve wants SteamOS to \u201cjust work\u201d on hardware with Nvidia cards, it\u2019s going to need a lot of help. Things are getting better on that front, though, as Nvidia seems to be more actively supporting Linux with new high-profile hires<\/a> and official support for the GeForce Now streaming platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve long speculated that Valve hopes SteamOS can be an alternative to Windows<\/a>, at least for PC gaming, possibly transitioning into a more holistic platform. It\u2019s certainly raising the profile of Linux gaming based almost entirely on the strength of the Steam Deck handheld. But desktop PC gamers still overwhelmingly prefer Nvidia graphics, for better or worse. Nvidia is also expanding into Arm-based laptops<\/a>.<\/p>\n If Valve wants to expand SteamOS beyond the hardware it sells\u2014or occasionally partners with\u2014then it\u2019ll have to deal with the green-tinted dragon at some point. Looks like that\u2019s now the plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary created by Smart Answers AI In summary:PCWorld reports that Valve is collaborating with Nvidia to develop GPU…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[85,46,125],"class_list":["post-505983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}